Before the first use of the Diamond Hydride column:
1. Condition it with 50:50 methanol / DI water for 30 minutes.
Conditioning steps – depends on your samples:
1. When using urine, plasma, or other biological samples etc:
A. Conditioning the column with 80% acetonitrile / 20% DI water/ 0.2% acetic acid (or 0.1% formic acid) is recommended for 20 minutes.
B. Cleaning with 50% MeOH / 50% DI water is recommended for every 10 injections for 5 minutes.
2. Using Standard Samples:
A: Conditioning with 80% acetonitrile / 20% DI water / 0.2% acetic acid (or 0.1% formic acid) is recommended for 20 minutes.
B. Cleaning with 50% MeOH / 50% DI water is recommended for every 100 injections or sooner if change in performance is noticed, for 5 minutes.
Storing the column:
1. For long term storage, 100% acetonitrile is best. Rinse with 10 column volumes.
2. For moderate length of time, 90:10 acetonitrile / DI water with 0.1% formic or acetic acid. Rinse with six column volumes.
Washing the column to remove adsorbed compounds:
The best method for washing a Diamond Hydride column is to use 50:50 Methanol / water with 0.1% formic acid as rinse solvent. Wash for 60 minutes using a slower flow rate than for your regular runs. Return to acetonitrile / DI water.
If the performance can still be improved, wash your column overnight using 50:50 isopropyl alcohol / DI water with 0.1% formic acid at a low flow rate.
If needed, uninstall the column and reinstall in a reverse direction and wash it with 50:50 methanol / DI water with 0.1% formic acid for 60 minutes.
Never let the column dry out.
